Welcome to the November 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Last month, I caught up on Cece Louise’s most recent rom coms in the After All series. Faking After All includes the fake dating trope as well as enemies to lovers or grumpy/sunshine—take your pick. I really enjoyed this fun romance between uptight, ambitious executive Victoria and soon-to-be gym owner Caleb. She’ll help him with his grand opening if he’ll pretend to be her boyfriend for work functions. The characters are well-developed, and it is a quick, easy read.

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Welcome to the October 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Many years ago, when I belonged to a local library’s writing group, I became aware of Maria V. Snyder’s Poison Study. The author was a local success story in publishing, and there was often mention of her. It took me a decade or more, but I’ve finally gotten around to reading the novel. In this fantasy, a young woman is spared execution and offered a position as food taster for the commander of Ixia. She’s kept captive by the need for a daily dose of antidote only her captors can supply. So far, so good.

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Welcome to the September 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

You’ll notice that a lot of our recent reading was inspired by our summer vacation in Kentucky, where we made eleven stops on the Bourbon Trail and visited Daniel and Rebecca Boone’s graves, among other places.

Many hours of our travel time were spent listening to Boone: A Biography by Robert Morgan. Frontiersman Daniel Boone was a complex man who lived a fascinating life in 18^th-century America. Robert Morgan’s biography is long and detailed, occasionally veering off on interesting tangents. While we didn’t complete the entire book as a family, my oldest son is listening to the remainder on his own. When presented with the hardships Boone overcame in uncharted wilderness and in conflict with hostile native tribes, I couldn’t help but think how soft we Americans have become. 

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Welcome to the August 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Like many others, my husband purchased a copy of J.D. Vance’s memoir, Hillybilly Elegy, following the Republican National Convention. I’m not sure if it was Prime Day pricing, but it was a considerably reduced price. I’d had my eye on this several years ago but hadn’t gotten around to reading it, so I’ll likely read it as well. So far, from the stories my husband has shared, I think it’s fair to say Vance’s Appalachian family was very colorful. I read the introduction, and the writing was so smooth, I wanted to continue.

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Welcome to the July 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

For Father’s Day, we made a little trip to a local bookstore that sells primarily used books. We were like kids in a candy shop. Those books will be showing up here as we read them, starting with a historical book my husband grabbed: Beer in America: The Early Years 1587-1840, Beer’s Role in the Settling of America and the Birth of a Nation by Gregg Smith. Part American history, part brewing history, it has some mixed reviews on Goodreads, so take that for what it’s worth. It covers the science, social importance, and historical role of beer in our country.

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Welcome to the June 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

My husband has been reading Big Whiskey: Kentucky Bourbon, Tennessee Whiskey, the Rebirth of Rye, and the Distilleries of America’s Premier Spirits Region by Carlo DeVito. It is considered the definitive guide to the American Whiskey Trail (or so the description says) and features distilleries in both Tennessee and Kentucky. It includes interviews, histories, facts, and photographs. My husband has found it a useful guide and an interesting book that would work well in a coffee-table style presentation. It does, unfortunately, have some typos sprinkled throughout. Might make a nice Father’s Day gift for the bourbon afficionado.

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Welcome to the May 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Life has been busier than usual with all the spring concerts, sports, etc., with more to come in May, including exams. Reading is happening in the margins of our days. Even so, I have some great books to share with you this month.

I’ve been reading an advance copy of Rebecca W. Martin’s debut novel, Love in the Eternal City, A Swiss Guard Romance. A contemporary Catholic romance? Yes! More of these, please. I’ve never visited Rome, so I’m traveling vicariously with the heroine, Elena, who has re-located to Italy after a broken engagement, disintegrated friendship, and lost job. There she meets a Swiss Guard, Benedikt. I knew nothing about the Swiss Guard, other than their colorful uniforms, and I appreciate learning more about their history and modern role. Looking forward to the rest of this romance, which releases in August.

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Welcome to the April 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

I’ve almost finished Karen Ullo’s forthcoming historical novel, To Crown with Liberty (Chrism Press). A split-time novel set during the French Revolution and late 18^th century Louisiana, the story of Alix de Morainville of the French nobility, is told through her own eyes. The reader experiences the persecutions and executions of the Reign of Terror and the wilds of the American south as farms and plantations bring civilization to the swamps of Louisiana. Some prominent historical French and American figures appear throughout. The faith interwoven in the story makes it stand out from purely historical and less personal sagas. Even without having read the conclusion, I highly recommend this novel, which will be launched on May 1.

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